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National Football League

Page 137 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
I'd be surprised if that happens. It could, but it would surprise me. The Raiders have been looking for their next franchise QB. They drafted Tyler Wilson who didn't pan out, and have two young QB's in Pryor and McGloin. To take on the inconsistent Vick, late in his career, doesn't sound like what Dennis Allen wants. Then again, Reggie McKenzie has made some seriously puzzling decisions so far in free agency.

If the Jets don't sign him, and post-draft he can't find a team that will guarantee him the starting QB job, I still think Vick could, and should stay in Philly as a backup to Foles. He will get playing time, almost every bu QB does. But with the addition of Sproles, the Eagles offense is going to be a juggernaut, and it's the best place for both his style, and chances.

IF he plays well at all, Julies Peppers going to GB is a great deal. But it is a one-year deal, so it's not like some of these backloaded deals the Broncos signed, or overpaid ones the Raiders have done/lost. Peppers adds much needed veteran help to a young GB team.

The Patriots have been busy, but while adding Brandon LaFell at WR is a help, they basically will have a crowded field of average receivers for Brady to throw to. They still need a breakout fast receiver, and badly need a replacement for Gronk/Hernandez. I also wonder which Brandon Browner they got? The intimidating shut down corner, or a suspended pot head?

Speaking of overpaying, I like Michael Oher's story as much as anyone, but to sign him for $20m, and $9.5m of that guaranteed?? GM Ruston Webster and new coach Ken Whisenhunt must have been infatuated watching reruns of the Blind Side.

Emmanuel Sanders had a meeting with the Chiefs and agreed verbally to a deal. He then walked out the building, and he and his agent started shopping the deal to other teams, and the Broncos bit. That's a pretty crappy way to negotiate, completely devoid of good faith, and I'm surprised NFL teams allow it.

I again like what the Jags are doing. Signing Red Bryant and Chris Clemons leftovers from Seattle may have been another good move. Especially as coach Gus Bradley must know what both guys have left in the tank, and the signings weren't bank busters either. They still may need a franchise QB (they could draft one, but I doubt they will in the 1st round), and still are going to have problems, but this is a team on the rise, making all the right moves to build for the future.

As to the Seahawks, while I don't think they'll repeat, they will have a chance as they didn't lose much. The players they're going to need to sign out of that list, in order, are Wilson, Sherman, Wagner, Thomas and Okung. Those five seem a must, and that alone is going to be expensive. Ideally they'd keep them all. I believe Bruce Irvin is also free next season. That was an amazing draft for the Hawks. A bunch of guys pundits were scratching their heads about, and look what they produced.
 
Your Vick-take makes sense.

On Browner, NE may get the best Browner has to offer, but he may not be the shut down corner they are hoping for. Why? Earl Thomas. In SEA, the presence of Earl Thomas, who can cover a lot of territory, made it easier for the corners to play aggressive. NE does not have that kind of safety. However, the addition of Reevis means Browner will not get the tough assignments.

You can almost say the same for Walter Thurmond, who signed a one year deal with the NYG. I give Thurmond a C grade at corner, but I wanted SEA to keep him as a nickel corner. In 2013 when Browner was given a suspension, Thurmond stepped in and played well. Then Thurmond was injured, and Byron Maxwell stepped in and played better than Thurmond. So when Thurmond was healthy, Maxwell kept the starting job through the playoff run. I don't think the NYG have a safety like Earl Thomas either. So it will be interesting to see how both Thurmond at NYG and Browner in NE pans out next year.

Yes, I agree Jags offseason is going well. The Clemons and Red Bryant deals just go to show that when a team loses a coach to become a coach somewhere else in the NFL, it makes it easier for the other team to snatch players off the former team's roster provided the players can fit into whatever system they have. Who will the Jags draft in the first round? Well, they have the third overall pick, and they have a ton of picks (rounds 1,2,3,4,4,5,5,5,6,7). They did just sign DE Red Bryant, and DE is a need, but they just might get Clowney. Anyway, I have not decided yet.
 
Of course the Seahwks also have Chancellor, who is arguably the hardest hitting safety in the NFL. The guy is built like a linebacker, and has cover speed. You put a cover guy like Thomas in the middle, and Chancellor there to scare people, and, well, we saw the result.

My gut tells me that the Jags will only take a QB with their first pick if it's the guy they are eyeing, the guy Guy Bradley thinks will fit into his system. I don't know if that's Bortles, Manzeil, or Bridgewater, they probably don't yet. But there is a chance if the guy they like out of these three is there, they'll grab him. But I also think you get beyond Houston taking a QB, and any team could take Clowny and no one would question it. Heck, Houston could take him.
 
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Well, the Panthers went from marginally a playoff team to WTF are you thinking Gettlemen? We have ONE receiver left who has caught a pass in the NFL, and Nicks took his talents elsewhere (not that I was overly distraught over that). I have no idea what their plan is, but nobody here thinks they have a legitimate plan.

Interestingly, none of the current players on the team have said anything about Smith leaving. I get the impression that he was a little intense for everyone...still, we have no receivers, and we had 3 offensive linemen leave...and our O line wasn't that great anyway.

Back to the basement.
 
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Can someone explain to me why, when the Buccaneers have Mike Glennon, who played fairly well last year in a fill in role, Lovie Smith says they need a franchise QB (meaning, "not you, Glennon"), so they go out and sign...Josh McCown? For $10m?? The same McCown that played slightly better than the rookie Glennon, while playing for a superior Chicago team? The same McCown that was basically mediocre starting in Oakland a couple years back?

A big fat LOL and told ya all....
Remember when I linked the article of Glennon being called "better than RGII" by an "expert" who saw "thousands of hours of game film". This idiot made the headlines at NFL.com with that BS.
What does it tell us? 10.000 hours of game film doesn´t help, if you don´t have football knowledge. Serious, the more I think of it and follow the whole business, my conclusion is; some guys have no glue of their payed work. It wouldn´t be a mistake to hire me. Honestly I am not worse than most of them...
If a HC signs a career backup as franchise QB, it tells a lot of the level Glennon is at...

BTW, as old Raider fan, wouldn´t it be nice if OAK signs Vick? ;) For sure I´ll join you as Raider fan. I know you wouldn´t want that. It would only mean more doom and disaster. "My" teams never win.
 
Pats look great. Revis for 10 is a steal, shores up their defense and they had loads of injuries this year coming back, onto a team that managed 12-4 without them

Aside from that they have such a huge advantage over Denver schedule wise. Their match is once again in Boston and with the tie breaker that's essentially worth 3 games as far as seeding goes.

And Denver have to play the NFC West, which is the strongest division in the nfl and looks even stronger next year with Rams getting bradford and #2 pick, and Arizona building on last year.

Pats play the weakest division in the nfc -the East.

Pats also are in an easier division. Even if only marginally.

Can anyone else in the AFC challenge them? Not in East or West (Chargers- doubt it)
AFC north there is no dominant team there, 3 potential 10-12 win teams, Browns not great but good enough to upset their rivals. they will cancel eachother out.
AFC South Tenesse and Jags not good enough. Houston, with Bridgewater, and Watt, maybe but i think they need some more time.
Colts. they are the best shout but Luck needs to improve some more.
 
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
Remember when I linked the article of Glennon being called "better than RGII" by an "expert" who saw "thousands of hours of game film". This idiot made the headlines at NFL.com with that BS.
What does it tell us? 10.000 hours of game film doesn´t help, if you don´t have football knowledge. Serious, the more I think of it and follow the whole business, my conclusion is; some guys have no glue of their payed work. It wouldn´t be a mistake to hire me. Honestly I am not worse than most of them...
If a HC signs a career backup as franchise QB, it tells a lot of the level Glennon is at...
The "expert" is Greg Cosell, whose analyses are highly regarded. What he actually said is "Mike Glennon is so far more advanced than RGIII playing NFL quarterback that it's not even close." That comment followed a discussion which shows that Cosell thinks a "NFL quarterback" must have very strong pocket passing skills. Of course, RGIII doesn't have much skill passing from the pocket.
Cosell's comments (it's audio) are linked at the bottom of this web page.
 
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KingsMountain said:
The "expert" is Greg Cosell, whose analyses are highly regarded. What he actually said is "Mike Glennon is so far more advanced than RGIII playing NFL quarterback that it's not even close." That comment followed a discussion which shows that Cosell thinks a "NFL quarterback" must have very strong pocket passing skills. Of course, RGIII doesn't have much skill passing from the pocket.
Cosell's comments (it's audio) are linked at the bottom of this web page.

Thanks King...
I already said back in the day that he is dead wrong. If you can pass on one leg on a moral-down-losing-team, and still field better efficiency numbers than Glennon, the whole debate and conclusions by Cosell was/is grotesque, 10.000 hours of film or not.
But hey, if Palin (an almost vice president!!) can speak out for nuclear attacks against Russia and people are cheering, everything goes with "experts" in USA. :rolleyes:
God, what happened to the country I once loved? Did the greed kill "everybody´s" brain cells?
I am stunned...
 
The Hitch said:
Pats look great. Revis for 10 is a steal, shores up their defense and they had loads of injuries this year coming back, onto a team that managed 12-4 without them

Aside from that they have such a huge advantage over Denver schedule wise. Their match is once again in Boston and with the tie breaker that's essentially worth 3 games as far as seeding goes.

And Denver have to play the NFC West, which is the strongest division in the nfl and looks even stronger next year with Rams getting bradford and #2 pick, and Arizona building on last year.

Agree on Reevis, who is better and came cheaper that the player NE let go (Aqib Talib, I spell that right?).

Now, match reminds me of George Carlin's take on baseball vs other sport, including (American) football. If you've never seen it you gotta watch it... "Baseball is played in a park. Football is played on a gridiron... sometimes called Soldier Field..." And it goes on and on like that. (LINK)

NE at home vs Broncos could be a big help when it comes down to seeding for home field advantage. Worse yet for Denver is that the game is on November 24th, and weather could be a factor.... advantage Brady & NE.

:confused: on what you meant on NFC West, because 1) the Broncs play in the AFC West, 2) the Broncs do not play any 2014 regular season games vs the strong NFC West (though all four of Denver's preseason games are vs NFC West teams... 9ers, Hawks, Rams, Cards in that order).

Here is the 2014 strength of schedule, not that it matters much. Last year, Denver had one of the easiest schedules, but that did not matter if what matters is winning the SB.
1. Oakland Raiders .578
2. Denver Broncos .570
3. St. Louis Rams .564
4. San Diego Chargers .563
San Francisco 49ers .563
6. Seattle Seahawks .561
7. Kansas City Chiefs .559
8. Arizona Cardinals .547
9. New York Jets .520
10. New England Patriots .516
11. Atlanta Falcons .512
12. Miami Dolphins .508
13. Green Bay Packers .504
14. Buffalo Bills .500
15. Chicago Bears .496
16. Detroit Lions .492
17. Washington Redskins .490
18. Dallas Cowboys .488
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers .484
20. Philadelphia Eagles .479
21. Minnesota Vikings .477
22. Carolina Panthers .473
23. Cincinnati Bengals .469
New Orleans Saints .469
Pittsburgh Steelers .469
26. Cleveland Browns .465
New York Giants .465
28. Baltimore Ravens .461
29. Jacksonville Jaguars .453
30. Houston Texans .441
31. Tennessee Titans .438
32. Indianapolis Colts .430
 
I've never liked SOS analysis, simply because the league changes enough that you're basing it against something that rapidly becomes the past.

The only issue with Revis is if he's healthy. If so, then I too like what NE did more than Denver, who mortgaged too much of the future by promising so much money to aging players.

As to Glennon vs. RGIII, my initial post on it wasn't that, it was the question as to whether Josh McCown was really the NFL franchise QB worth $10m that Lovie Smith said the Buccaneers needed to get when he pushed Glennon aside?

As to pocket passing, let's ask this question. Pretend your a GM and your team needs a new, young QB. You have an option. You can trade away your 1st round pick to get Kirk Cousins (pocket passer), or draft Johnny Manzeil (non-pocket passer). What's your pick? You can also flip that on it's end. Who would you rather have, the slow, pocket passing Aaron Rodgers, or the deft Russell Wilson? Wait, I know your answer: "Too many variables". That's because being an NFL QB isn't all about sitting in the pocket and making nice throws.

I doubt the Panthers will sink to the bottom, as their defense is still going to be superb. But they are going to have to get more offensive linemen and weapons for Newton to throw to.

FoxxyBrown1111 said:
God, what happened to the country I once loved? Did the greed kill "everybody´s" brain cells?
I am stunned...
Only about 20% of us, unfortunately most of those are people who are very vocal, and those who own the politicians (sorry, this belongs in another thread. But it is true!).
 
on3m@n@rmy said:
:confused: on what you meant on NFC West, because 1) the Broncs play in the AFC West, 2) the Broncs do not play any 2014 regular season games vs the strong NFC West (though all four of Denver's preseason games are vs NFC West teams... 9ers, Hawks, Rams, Cards in that order).

Denver do play the NFC West. I remember pre superbowl there was even discussion that if Seattle win they should make the opening game a superbowl rematch since Denver @ Seattle is a regular season fixture
 
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Alpe d'Huez said:
The only issue with Revis is if he's healthy. If so, then I too like what NE did more than Denver, who mortgaged too much of the future by promising so much money to aging players.

Does NE still have Talib Aqib? Havn´t followed much NFL since the SB. Too many distractions...
If so, NE will field a great D. They certainly will be No 1 favo in the AFC. Great job again by Beli.

Alpe d'Huez said:
As to pocket passing, let's ask this question. Pretend your a GM and your team needs a new, young QB. You have an option. You can trade away your 1st round pick to get Kirk Cousins (pocket passer), or draft Johnny Manzeil (non-pocket passer). What's your pick? You can also flip that on it's end. Who would you rather have, the slow, pocket passing Aaron Rodgers, or the deft Russell Wilson? Wait, I know your answer: "Too many variables". That's because being an NFL QB isn't all about sitting in the pocket and making nice throws.

Nice analysis. Go and tell Cosell. :)
@ all; who would you rather have as your starting QB: RG3 or the "far ahead" Glennon? Whom you trust more? Alpe (non-payed football analyst) or "10.000-hour" Cosell? ;)
Guys better read here next season than the crap from Easteregg, Prisco or so-called experts like the above mentioned one.

Alpe d'Huez said:
Only about 20% of us, unfortunately most of those are people who are very vocal, and those who own the politicians (sorry, this belongs in another thread. But it is true!).

Sad. Anyway you are right...
 
Talib went to Denver, who paid him a bloated six-year, $56m ($26m guaranteed) contract. I read up on this, and it seems there is a clause of sorts, but it's still ugly. If he plays lights out great, it's all okay. But if not, the best case situation for Denver is that they actually release him after this coming season, of which they will only have paid him $12m. But that's more money than the Patriots paid Revis, a better player.

I'll say what I did before, pundits are wide eyed about the Broncos quickly signing Talib, Ware, and Ward. But considering they just handed out $128 million to five players, it's going to leave them in a serious, serious hole in the years to come, especially when you add on Manning's huge contract. I'm reminded of the way Al Davis spent in his last few years, or some of Jerry Jones big name contracts that were bad deals. I think the Broncos crushing loss in the Superbowl is so etched in their minds, they're trying to wash away the pain with the money hose. It's a huge gamble. If they win the Superbowl this coming season, or even the next, it was worth it. If they don't, they'll have a 40 year old leader, and a heap of dead money to deal with in the years to come.

I think what's equally telling is that people are looking at them and saying "wow" at the money. But they're looking at the Patriots and saying "wow" at their smart acquisitions.

The AFC West definitely plays the NFC West in the regular season next year. Here's a list of Denver's opponents for the 2014 season.

As a Raider fan, I would be okay if Vick ended up a Raider. I don't like the guy at all for what he did, and think he's been overhyped. But he is streaky (which means great at times), and could be a good bridge to the future, while the team (and Pryor and McGloin's learning and development) determine what that future is. I'd rather have that than them pick a QB with their first pick. I'm still hoping that the Raiders can get Clowney.
 
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Talib went to Denver

Oh bad, so only one side is protected... Anyway, of what I read from you, Beli came out the winner of the backfield shifting.

Alpe d'Huez said:
If they win the Superbowl this coming season, or even the next, it was worth it. If they don't, they'll have a 40 year old leader, and a heap of dead money to deal with in the years to come.

Done. Done... As I said this (past season) was the golden opportunity for PM. Now they shot their future dead with overpaying FAs. That almost always backfires. Brian Burke had a great article why (U)FA signings backfire. Strongly recommend to read it.
I seldom do predictions for an upcoming season (unless I do joke random pickings), b/c they also backfire most of time. But in this case I give it all. No way will Denver win next years SB, no way! If they do I´ll run naked on the streets and change my name/avatar to "Chris Horner Lover".

Alpe d'Huez said:
But they're looking at the Patriots and saying "wow" at their smart acquisitions.

Yep. That´s where Beli is king, year in year out.

Alpe d'Huez said:
As a Raider fan, I would be okay if Vick ended up a Raider.

Cool. :cool:

Not that you get me wrong. But I guess you know it anyway: I only appreciate Vick as a player. And there he is great. I don´t give too much into Ints, they are mostly random or come in desperation modi*. One year you throw a ton, next you are pretty.

* As with all "rules", there are exceptions. In the Int case, its little siz who excels year in year out at throwing tons of it (but still ending up collecting 20 Mio bucks per year :confused:)
BTW, is he released or are the Giants to stubborn to accept mistake and failure in coaching and front office?
 
just wanted to chime in and say I am enjoying the FA discussion in here, though don't have much to add myself.

such a long offseason, brutal.

Only thing helping is that our local (Australian) footy season just started here on Friday, that's going to keep me absorbed til September, so it's not all doom & gloom.

:)
 
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leftover pie said:
such a long offseason, brutal.

That´s the big plus of NFL football, and football in general.
You don´t get overfeed like with 365-days a year soccer.

But trust me, the greedy owners do their best to erase that advantage. They can´t get enough. Planning to expand the regular season and also becoming WFL; and already having tattered "any given sunday". It started with MNF, then came TNF, then the "bye week", then two MNF, and not to forget expanding playoffs to the point that regular seasons almost became meaningless.... They won´t stop until they become year round football... no matter if players can take that beating or not.
 
leftover pie said:
just wanted to chime in and say I am enjoying the FA discussion in here, though don't have much to add myself.:)
Thanks! I'm no football genius, I just know where to look on the web, and what to look for. Plus, posting it places like here, I can be selective about analyzing things. I don't think I could be a real NFL.com or ESPN blogger having to cover everything.

Foxxy - Sadly, you are correct about the NFL and greed. I think the simplest thing the NFL could do is simply show more games on more networks on Sunday. As is, every city gets two games in the first slot, and one in the second (usually), that's it. You must buy the NFL package to get them all, and you can't watch them at the same time. If the NFL can simply sell more games to networks in the prime Sunday slots, they'll get more viewers/money. The other option is to simply move one east coast (or Europe) game to the early morning. People on the east coast can watch a 10am game, and in the west a 7am game. Yes, it's early, but not for real fans. This requires no additional games, no additional anything. Just spreading the goodness.

I like this time of year for the NFL. But moving the draft to May was too long. And I really don't pay much attention to football in the summer. It's baseball (and cycling) season here then. Once the Spring Classics, or really the Giro starts, and MLB gets to the All-Star break, it just doesn't seem like football season, at all. Then again, MLB is also stretching itself thin for greed as well. Worse than the NFL.

FoxxyBrown1111 said:
No way will Denver win next years SB, no way! If they do I´ll run naked on the streets and change my name/avatar to "Chris Horner Lover".
Bookmarking this post!

But I have to agree. They look like one of those teams that starts 7-0, ends up 11-5, and is out in the first round, beaten by an up and coming team. But it's only March, so who knows?!

Re. Eli:
BTW, is he released or are the Giants to stubborn to accept mistake and failure in coaching and front office?
No, they are paying him out. They're in a bind though. They owe him a lot of money over the next two years. Considering he was probably the worst starting QB in the NFL last season there's a huge risk. Eli apologists are insisting that the team had a weak OL last year and Hicks gave up. They believe Eli is still one of the best QB's in the NFL and once they get a team around him, he'll produce like never before. New Giant OC Ben McAdoo says the team needs to run a faster paced offense next season. So, if nothing else, this coming season will be interesting!
 
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
* As with all "rules", there are exceptions. In the Int case, its little siz who excels year in year out at throwing tons of it (but still ending up collecting 20 Mio bucks per year :confused:)
BTW, is he released or are the Giants to stubborn to accept mistake and failure in coaching and front office?
Lol, don't rule out new York. They made good fa moves, now have a great secondary, they underperformed this season, have some good draft picks, Eli can play better, very good coach, I predict they win the east (in theory eagles are better but it's rare that a team wins that division twice)
 
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
That´s the big plus of NFL football, and football in general.
You don´t get overfeed like with 365-days a year soccer.

100% agree. It's big because there are only 16 games. Every game therefore is big, division games even more important. So every match has that must win atmosphere.

If it was like association football where teams have 40 league games + 30 cup games, those games wouldn't matter so much. So often in football teams just resign themselves to a tactical draw or save players for a different competition. And when there's nothing year round but that 1 sport, it gets boring. At least in America people are encouraged to watch different sports. Here even when they aren't showing the premier league they are still showing soccer, just different leagues or different countries.
 
That's been my experience trying to follow it. Just too many games, too many inter-league games, and too long of seasons. And it's what bothers me about MLS here in the states. Instead of trying to create their own league, with their own rules, they mostly just follow FIFA, and turn their noses up at the idea of "Americanizing" the sport.

Meanwhile. Teddy Bridgewater's pro day was yesterday, and he didn't do so well. After holding out at the combine, not only refusing to throw there, he didn't even say much. He staked a lot on yesterday, and came up fairly flat. Both Ron Jaworski and Kirk Warner were pretty luke warm on his performance. This leaves the door wide open for Manzeil. Bridgewater will now likely be the third QB taken, and it's just a matter if Johnny Football can have a lights out Pro day to leapfrog Bortles and convince the Texans he's their guy.

Granted, one's Pro Day, like the Combine, isn't everything. I mean, he was tossing a ball in shorts to wide open receivers, with no pass rush! Coaches film and game film really means more. But a Pro Day finely evaluates a player's mechanics, arm strength, deep field accuracy, and ability to throw outside the hash marks. All things coaches look for in an NFL QB. Plus teams (even HC's often) get to talk to the player face to face for the first time.
 
Alpe d'Huez said:
Thanks! I'm no football genius, I just know where to look on the web, and what to look for.

you're welcome.

Cricket is another 365 day a year sport, but for me even though it's played all year round (in whichever hemisphere it is summer), I can't really get into it unless it is summer where I am. All the games played in the northern hemisphere summer are really lost on me.

Unless it's for the ashes.
 
Alpe & Hitch - you are both right. DEN does play the NFC West next season. Too many lagers... Foxxy will understand.

Bridgewater's pro day bungle will probably allow Johnny Football or someone else to get picked higher. If Houston does not take Manziel, I bet they take Clowney.

I agree the Broncos way overspent for a few players, and that could come back to bite them in a few years. But, I won't fault them for trying now. After all, they are close to winning another super bowl and only have a few years with Manning to do it in. Better that than Cleveland, who last summer I felt was close to a breakthrough to make playoffs, and then just reshuffled the deck without all 52 cards.

Not a lot of stellar OLinemen available in free agency. But Raiders get two OTs; ex-BUC Don Penn & Ex-Jets Austin Howard. That is still a net loss after losing Veldheer.
 
If anyone wants a quick lesson on teams that spend a heap of money in free agency hoping to buy a Superbowl, I present to you:

The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles


Dubbed the "Dream Team" by Vince Young. After a breakout season in 2010 and Vick's best as an NFL quarterback (and comeback player of the year), the team broke the bank to sign Dominque Rodgers-Cromaratie, Donald Lee, Ronnie Brown, Ryan Harris, Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Steve Smith, and several other players in a $100m plus shopping spree. This was after signing Michael Vick to a 5-year, $100m contract himself. The team had high hopes, and there was a LOT of chatter how adding these great players - most of them to fill defensive holes - would put them over the top and lead them to the promised land (sound familiar?).

How did the "Dream Team" do? They started the season 4-8, and eeked out four wins at the end to save some face. The following season they were 4-12. Reid was fired, and most of the players signed during that off-season spending spree are no longer on the team. Several are out of football entirely. Vick himself is at best going to be a backup in Philadelphia, if he stays there at all.
 
Blake Bortles had his Pro Day yesterday, and though he missed a few throws, it was said that he was overall very good. His missed throws tended to be over, showing good arm strength. The kid has been solid for the last several months. He showed poise at the Combine, and seems like the solid #1 pick for Houston.

David, I mean Derek Carr's Pro Day is today. Recall that Carr took a risk by not throwing at the Combine. He already has a name attached to him that gives people some pause. Adding to the concern, he was apparently sick with food poisoning last night and needed IV fluids.

David Fales, QB for San Jose State had a good Pro Day yesterday. The knock on him is that he played a weak schedule, and arm strength is in question. But he threw some 53 passes, and his only miss was a deep post he overthrew. Reggie McKenzie of Oakland was in attendance. He's also looked at Matt Schaub. Reggie is saying the Raiders QB isn't even on the roster, or something like that. If I were Terrell Pryor or Matt McGloin, to have such a zero vote of confidence that no matter what I did in the off season wasn't enough for the GM, would be very indignifying.

Manzeil's Pro Day is one week from today. Merrill Hodge joined in the circus claiming he "sees bust written all over him" when talking about Manzeil. To be more fair, Hoge said the issue is the hype and him being a top pick, and that his style isn't well suited for the NFL.

Keep one thing in mind, players like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson are not the norm, they are the exception. Most QB's coming out of college do not have what it takes to start in the NFL, and stay the starter. RGIII and Cam Newton have also done it, but had some up's and downs. Alex Smith the same, for some 8+ seasons now. Most 1st round QB drafts who start right away end up like Ryan Tannehill, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Brandon Weeden, Geno Smith, Tim Couch and struggle. Never the less, as I said a few times now, NFL execs see rookie QBs and see a QB that has never failed in the NFL, they blindly see the next Russell Wilson, regardless if a better veteran QB is to be attained instead.
 
Thanks for the PD updates. Not been able to follow. Though I did hear one report about Bortles, besides the fact it was a great workout for him. That being he was able to handle some of the stiff ribbing from some scouts (Houston staffers I think) in a manner that made people think that he would be teachable and easy to work with. Those are qualities that some folks think Manziel may not have, and could tip the scales Bortles way. If Manziel is listening, he should pay attention, and being his workout is a week away he has a chance to impress with character.
 

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